Surry Gravel Pit
(Surry) – The Planning Board in Surry has granted a permit for a local contractor to extract gravel from his land. The Ellsworth American reports the decision is not sitting well with neighbors. The Planning Board found that the town’s zoning laws allow for gravel mining on the property near Morgan Bay Road. Neighbors say the gravel pit hasn’t been used for years and mining could ruin property values.
Hampden Fire
(Hampden) – Flames shot out of the top floor of a Hampden home late last night as firefighters arrived on scene to put out the blaze. WABI-TV reports the call to the Main Road came in around 11-o’clock last night. Several town fire departments responded to the scene. No word on any injuries.
Hancock Accident
(Hancock) – Only minor injuries reported early this morning after a tractor trailer truck and a pickup truck accident in Hancock. State Police are investigating the crash near the Hancock Grocery Store. Dispatchers tell Star 97.7 the 9-1-1 call came in around 3:30 this morning. Emergency crews reduced traffic to one lane while tow trucks were moving the big rig.
Shooting Death
(Scarborough) – A 5-year old Belfast girl’s shooting death was an accident. That’s the conclusion of state police investigators looking into Elise Dorr’s death. Dorr’s father said the youngster pulled his loaded handgun from a backpack while he was changing a TV channel and the gun went off, hitting her in the head. She died en-route to the hospital. So far police have not charged anyone with a crime.
Cushing Fined
(Augusta) – A political action committee run by Senate Majority Leader Andre Cushing will have to cough up $9-thousand dollars after the Ethics Commission fined him for campaign violations. The fines come after finding Cushing filed campaign finance reports late 11-times between 2014 and 2016 and he failed to report short-term loans from the PAC to his family business. It’s one of the stiffest fines ever imposed by the Ethics Commission, but less than staff had recommended.
Rt 3 Construction
(Bar Harbor) Some temporary relief on the Route 3 road construction project in Bar Harbor over the long holiday weekend. At the end of today construction will halt, then resume again on Tuesday the 5th. The Maine Department of Transportation reports to Star 97-7 that next week Emera will do work around West Street and Eagle Lake Road. The area from Old Bar Harbor Road to Sand Point Road will reopen for two-way traffic until further notice. The Crooked Road detour and first one-way loop is up and running. Maine DOT asks motorists to please drive safely and pay attention to signage, traffic signals, and flaggers.
Island Explorer-Fall
(Bar Harbor) The Island Explorer bus system begins its fall schedule today. General manager Paul Murphy tells Star 97-7 that’s just one day earlier than usual. Murphy says the bus system was well staffed with drivers over the summer season but many of those drivers departed early to resume driving school buses. The Island Explorer’s fall schedule and bus routes can be found online at: Explore Acadia dot Com.
Hiking Challenge
(Sedgwick) A celebration of the Bagaduce River and the conservation and restoration work being done on the estuary is planned for September 16th. Blue Hill Heritage Trust outreach director Chrissy Allen says leading up to the celebration the Trust is challenging the community to hike all 8 trails within the Bagaduce Watershed. Allen says people who hike all 8 trails and write down the secret image to win prizes at the celebration. Those trails can be found on Blue Hill Heritage Trust’s facebook page or website.
OUI Checkpoints
(Local) OUI checkpoints are popping up across the region now through the long holiday weekend. The Ellsworth Police Department will team up with the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department to prevent or stop impaired driving with roving checkpoint details. The Maine Bureau of Highway Safety is funding the checkpoints as part of the national Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign. Bangor’s police department tells Star 97-7 they made 245 OUI arrests in 2016 and have already made 161 OUI arrests this year. Officers are not only looking for drunk drivers but also those under the influence of prescribed medications or illegal drugs.
Emera – Pole Tags
(Local) Contractors are working with Emera Maine to install number tags on power poles. Emera spokeswoman Judy Long tells Star 97-7 adding the number tags will help both Emera and their customers. Long says number tags are also being installed on private poles and poles owned by other utilities.
Cyber Sextortion
(Indianapolis, IN) A California man who’s charged with making cyber threats against young women in Indiana is believed to have made similar threats to other teens in as many as 10 states including Maine. 26-year-old Buster Hernandez is accused of threatening the use of explosive devices, threatening injury and sexual exploiting children. Court documents say Hernandez used cyber-threats on an Indiana victim in 2015 to extort sexually explicit pictures from her. The pattern continued for over a year. Prosecutors say if you believe you’ve been a victim of sextortion by Hernandez, also known as Purge of Maine, you’re asked to call the Indianapolis FBI Office.
Benton Fatal
(Benton) A woman from Albion was killed Tuesday when the pickup truck she was riding in went off the road and overturned. Police tell WABI-TV they’re investigating the Albion Road crash in Benton that killed 81-year-old Pauline Richards. Authorities aren’t sure what caused the pickup truck driver, 85-year-old June Hayward, to lose control and flip the truck over.
DECH Open House
(Machias) After a year of fundraising and construction, the new Emergency Department at Downeast Community Hospital will make its debut. An open house this afternoon from 4:30 to 6 will show off the new state-of-the-art facility. Fund raisers launched the capital campaign for the Emergency Department in January 2016 and a year later the hospital reached its goal of $1-point-5-million-dollars to fund the project. Downeast Community Hospital will begin seeing patients in its new facility in September.
Rabinowitz’s Employment
(Augusta) Maine’s governor says he’s appointed labor department director Julie Rabinowitz as his new press secretary. Rabinowitz will start as Governor Paul LePage’s press secretary on Sept. 5th. She’s held management and executive positions in government and non-profit organizations.
Fair Death
(Windsor) Police are investigating after a man was found dead at the Windsor Fair in Kennebec County. The Kennebec Journal reports the man was found in the parking area around noon on Tuesday. Police say the 42-year-old man worked as an independent contractor at the fair and the death did not appear to be suspicious.
Sports
- Boston Red Sox 7 Toronto Blue Jays 1 (Rick Porcello with the win, Mitch Moreland knocked in 4-runs.
- The Red Sox send Eduardo Rodriguez against the Yankees tonight. Boston has a 5-and-a-half game lead over New York who dropped a double header against Cleveland yesterday.
- Hartford Yard Goats 4 Portland Sea Dogs 3
- The Kyrie Irving / Isaiah Thomas trade is complete – the Celtics have thrown in a 2nd round draft pick in 2020 to Cleveland.
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